Safety razor



Jan. 12, 1937. G. L. RCBERTSON SAFETY RAZOR Filed Aug. 29, 1935 2Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR BY ATTORNEY 'll Q I Jan. 12, 1937. G. 1..ROB-ERTSON SAFETY RAZOR Filed Aug. 29, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fiazyeldPatented Jan. 12, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SAFETY RAZOR Merion,Pa.

Application August 29, 1935, Serial No. 38,473

Claims.

The object of the invention is to provide a safety razor constructionadaptable for use with either a flexible blade or a rigid blade to suitthe choice of the user; to provide a safety razor ii construction inwhich an adjustment is incorporated to make possible the quick variationin position of the blade and guard to readily provide for close, or theconventionally referred to rough shave; to provide a safety razorconstruction in which the position of the handle with respect to theholder is variable to secure the most desired of the two to meet thedesire of the user; and to provide a safety razor construction in whichthe parts, while readily disassemblable, do not need disassembling forthe removal or replacement of the blade, or for cleaning; and to providea device of the kind indicated which, for the functions to be performed,is of comparatively simple form and inexpensive to manufac- 20 ture.

With this object in view, the invention consists in a construction andcombination of parts of which a preferred embodiment is illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the improved razor, looking atone end of the head.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view, looking at the longitudinal edge ofthe head.

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the plane indicated by the line 3-3 ofFigure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional View of the plane indicated by the line 4-4 ofFigure 2.

Figure 5 is an end elevational View of the head, showing the cap membersin their open or releasing position, the blade, in this figure, beingindicated with dot and dash lines.

Figure 6 is a plan view, looking at the upper face of the head, thisfigure being broken away. Figure 7 is a perspective view of a portion ofthe head, looking at one corner thereof.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a hollow ground rigid blade, adaptedto be used interchangeably with the flexible blade in the invention.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the flexing bar adjusting stud. Figure10 is a perspective view of the retaining nut for the adjusting stud.

The invention comprises a guard frame ll of rectangular form, on theside walls of which are integrally formed the guard fingers I I, whichare uniformly spaced. Movable up and down in the guard frame is theblade flexing bar l2, and its function is to engage the under face ofthe blade l3 and flex the latter by forcing it against the concavehollow wall, that is provided by the complemental cap members l4 whenthe latter are in closed position.

The cap members are swingingly connected with the head by being formedwith terminal ears l5 of the general conformation of the ex- 5 tremitiesof the guard fingers II, and these cars straddle the outermost guardfingers, lying against the outer faces thereof, and hinged connection iseffected by means of the pivot pins "5 inserted through holes in theears l5, and 10 pivoting in body holes in the fingers. The fit in theears is preferably a forced fit, so that in the assembling operation,the pins may be forced through the ears to enter the holes in thefingers.

The cap plates are cross-sectional or arcuate 15 form, with the arc ofthe outer surface generated on a shorter radius than the are on theinner surface, so that the two plates together have the generalcross-sectional contour of the conventional safety razor cap. 20

Movement of the flexing bar in the frame is accomplished by angular orturning movement imparted to the stud H, which is threadedly engagedwith the bar at its center, as indicated at l8, these threads beingpreferably left handed. 5 The stud l1, however, is formed with anintegral collar 19, notched as at 20, at uniformly spaced points on itsperiphery, the notches, however, being limited to that face of thecollar disposed in the direction of the handle 2|. These notches 30 onthe collar are adapted for engagement with the spring fingers 22, struckfrom the spring plate 23, which is so dimensioned that it may bereceived within the frame II], but which has terminal feet 24 hearing onthe handle side of the 35 frame at the ends of the latter. The plate 23is depressed at its center, as indicated at 24a, to provide a seat,against which the forked or bifurcated member 25 may engage, the latterstraddling the stud I1, but having a swinging 40 connection with thesame by reason of the pivot pin 26.

The frame, at its center, and on the opposite side from that on whichthe cap plates are disposed, when the parts are in operative position,is bored and threaded to receive the nut 21, this nut consisting of aperipherially threaded collar, through which the stud I! passes. Thecollar threads are preferably right handed, so that the collar isscrewed home in an opposite direction from that in which the stud isturned to ad- Vance the flexing bar toward the blade. The nut is formedwith peripherial notches 28 which extend clear through the nut, and arenot limited to one face as in the case of the notches Zll in the collar19. When threaded into the bore of the frame, the nut straddles theframe at the center and precludes axial movement of the stud H in thedirection of the handle 2!. But the forked or bifurcated member 25 abutsthe depressed portion 24a of the spring plate 23, which precludes axialmovement of the stud I! in the opposite direction.

The spring fingers 22 engage in the peripherial notches 28 of the nutand in the notches of the collar [9, and thus prevent angular or turningmovement of both, so that the nut, when screwed home, is retained in itsposition in the threaded seat of the bore of the frame and the studlatched against angular or turning movement. But the stud may beturnedby rotating the handle, this operation springing the spring fingers outof the notches 20. Rotating the stud effects movement of the flexing bartoward or away from the blade, depending on the direction of movementimparted to the stud. If it be right handed, the flexing bar i2 is movedtoward the blade, and finally into engagement with the latter to flex itagainst the under surface of the cap members.

The degree to which the blade is flexed determines the position of itsedges with respect to the guard fingers II, and the degree of flexing isdetermined by the position of the flexing bar with relation to the capmembers, the spring plate 23 providing at all times the necessarypressure to maintain the flexing bar in its adjusted position withrespect to the cap members.

The movement of the adjusting bar is designed to control the movement ofthe cap members into and out of covering relation with the blade, and tothis end there are provided the crossheads 28' which are connected withthe flexing bar l2 by means of studs 29, which extend through spacedslots 30 formed in the ends of the frame l0. The cross-heads areterminally provided with pins 3! which traverse the edges of the slots32 formed in the ears l5.

When the handle 2| and with it the stud I? are rotated to retract theflexing bar, the pins 32 of the cross-head traverse the inner edges ofthe slots 32 until they reach the bottom of the latter, after which theyexert pressure downwardly on the ears l5, and thus swing the cap membersoutwardly, as indicated in Figure 5, until they clear the blade 13, whenthe latter may be removed, or inverted, or a rigid blade, such as thatindicated at 33 in Figure 8, may be substituted for it.

Of course, with the use of the rigid blade no flexing of the latter ispossible, but the flexing bar will engage the rigid blade on theunderface and, in cooperating with the cap members, will retain it inposition in the holder. The solid blade is preferably hollow-ground, asindicated at 34.

The handle 2| consists of the sections 2m and 2 lb, the lattertelescoping in the former, and having a pin and slot connection with thesame, as indicated at 35. The handle is thus made extensible, and anydesired adjustment within the limits of the adjustable connection isretained by reason of the section Zlb being split, as indicated at 35,so that it may have radial spring tendency outwardly to frictionallyengage the member 2| a.

The handle is angularly adjustable on the head by reason of the pivotalconnection 26, which the bifurcated member has with the post l1, and anyone of several angularly adjustments may be secured by reason of theflats 31, 38 and 39. The handle may thus be positioned axially of thestud 2'! or at right angles to the same, depending on whether the flat31 or the flat 39 engages the depressed portion 24a of the spring member23; or it may have a position intermediately between these two, if swungto bring the flat 38 into engagement with the depressed portion 24a.

The improved construction, therefore, provides not only for variousadjustments of the edges of the blade with respect to the guard fingersto provide for close or rough shaving, but also various angularadjustments of the handle with respect to the head to best suit theconvenience of the user.

The position of the blade on its seat on the frame ismaintaine d bymeans of the lugs 40, upstanding on the end walls of the latter, whichengage between spaced ears 4| on the blade, whether it be the flexibleblade shown in Figure 1, or the rigid blade shown in Figure 8. 1 r

The invention having been described, what is claimed as new andusefulis:

1. A safety razor comprising a guard frame, complemental cap membershaving hinged con nections with the guard frame and swingable toward andaway from the blade seat formed on the latter, a flexing bar slidablymounted i'n' the guard frame, and a post having a pivotal connectionwith the guard frame and a threaded connection with the flexing bar,whereby angular or turning movement of the post on its own axis willmove the flexing bar toward the cap mem: bers to engage an interveningblade between it and the cap members.

2. A safety razor comprising a'guar'd frame, complemental cap membershaving hinged connections with the guard frame for swinging movementtoward and away from the latter, a blade flexing memberslidably'mount'ed in the guard frame and movable toward and away fromthe seat, cross-heads connected with the blade flexing member and havingoperative connections with the cap members to swing the latter towardthe seat or away from the same, depending on the direction ofmovement ofthe flexing member, and adjusting means for the flexing member, andcomprising a rotatable post, and mounting means for the latter andconsisting of a ring nut threadedly engaged with, the guard frame and acollar carried by, the post and bearing against the nut.

3. A safety raz'or comprising a guard frame having a blade seat on oneface thereof, a' cap disposed in facing relation to the blade seat, ablade flexing member slidably mounted in the frame, a post adjustablyconnected with the blade flexing member and having a pivotal mounting inthe frame, a spring member spanning the frame and formed with aclearance opening for the post, and a handle member connected with thepost and having a flat bearing on the spring member.

4. A safety razor comprising a guard frame having a blade seat on oneface thereof, a cap disposed in facing relation to the blade seat, ablade flexing member slidably mounted in the frame, a post adjustablyconnected with the blade flexing member and having a pivotal mounting inthe frame, a spring member span ning the frame and formed with aclearance opening for the post, and a handle having a pivotal connectionwith the post to be swung laterally with respect thereto and having aseries of angularly spaced flats selectively engageable with the springto angularly position the handle with respect to the guard frame.

5. A safety razor comprising a guard frame having a blade seat on oneface thereof, a cap disposed in facing relation to the blade seat, ablade flexing member slidably mounted in the frame, a post adjustablyconnected with the blade flexing member and. having a pivotal mountingin the frame, a spring member spanning the frame and formed with aclearance opening for the post, and a handle having a pivotal connectionwith the post to be swung laterally with respect thereto, and having aseries of angularly spaced flats selectively engageable with the springto angularly position the handle with respect to the guard frame andwith the handle being composed of slidably connected members foradjustment to vary the length of the handle.

